On the evening of 25th May 1945 Task Force 57 retired southwards after
being at sea for 62 days (with a break of 8 days at Leyte in the Philipines) having taken
part in Operation Iceberg - the invasion of Okinawa. During the invasion the British
Pacific Fleet operated as TF 57, part of the 5th Fleet. The object set
the BPF was to prevent the Japanese air force using the five airfields in the Sakishima
Islands to stage aircraft through from Formosa to attack the US forces in Okinawa.

The initial assault on the island of Okinawa took place at dawn on the 1st April 1945,
and on that day the BPF encountered Kamikaze attacks for the first time. At 0728 that
morning a suicide bomber hit thebase of the island of HMS Indefatigable.
By the end of the operation, all 5 British aircraft carriers, the Indefatigable,
Formidable, Indomitable, Illustrious and Victorious had been
hit at least once by a kamikaze or bombs and the destroyer Ulster and the cruiser
Swiftsure also sustained casualties.

Many who served in the BPF at this time will probably not know that a memorial has been
erected on the island of Okinawa.

"The Cornerstone of Peace" was erected to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the end of the Pacific War and the Battle of Okinawa to "convey to the
people of Japan and throughout the world, the "spirit of peace" which has
developed through Okinawa's history and culture. It is a place to remember the
200,000 people who lost their lives in the Battle of Okinawa and other battles, to
appreciate the peace in which we live today; to pray for everlasting world peace."

Among those 236,095 people listed on the memorial are the names (only) of all 82 from
the original TF57 that died during the campaign. Details of the memorial and the names of
those men from the BPF who are inscribed have been obtained by Mr. Stan Deighton of the HMS
Illustrious Association after a great deal of research and assistance from the
U.S. and Okinawan governments. (See acknowledgement below).

It is of interest to note that the number of names inscribed are:-

Place of origin
Number

JAPAN Okinawa
147,731

USA
14,005

U.K.
82

Plus other casualties making a total of 236,095

During the operation 28 USN ships were sunk and 171 damaged by
Kamikaze aircraft.

According to Stan's research the number of deaths in each ship were:-

HMS Victorious
22

HMS Indefatigable 20

HMS Indomitable
10

HMS Illustrious
9

HMS Ulster
4

HMS Formidable
15

HMS Implacable
1*

HMS Swiftsure
1

* S/Lt (A) P.J. Croxall is listed although HMS Implacable was not
actually in the Okinawa campaign but was on passage to join the BPF at the time.

The following ex shipmates from HMS
Indefatigable are among those 82 men listed on the memorial on the Island of
Okinawa.

The painstaking investigation and research carried out by Mr. S. Deighton of the HMS
Illustrious Association in obtaining the information, passing it on and
permitting it to be promulgated is very much appreciated. Thank you Stan.